Leading cause of impaired vision in U.S. is correctable

Many people in the U.S. have vision problems that could be addressed with glasses, contact lenses or eye surgery, a recent study suggests.

Roughly nine in 10 children and adults under 45 years old with what’s known as refractive errors, or eyesight that may be improved with corrective lenses, could have their vision restored to at least 20/40 with glasses, contacts or surgery, researchers calculated.

This may also be true for up to about one-third of older people with refractive errors, researchers report in JAMA Ophthalmology.

In addition to examining refractive errors, researchers also looked at rates of blindness and what’s known as low vision.

Low vision can’t be corrected with glasses, contacts, medication or surgery, and it’s typically caused by age-related eye problems like diabetic eye disease, glaucoma or macular degeneration. People can lose a portion of their field of vision, and the vision loss may be mild or it might be severe enough to limit daily activities like reading or driving.

Nearly 3 million Americans have low vision but aren’t legally blind, and might benefit from vision rehabilitation, Massof said. Vision rehabilitation can involve corrective lenses as well as lighting or magnification devices or other non-optical aids.

Seeing a doctor matters especially for people who drive and may be able to correct their vision enough to avoid a restricted license, said IHPI member Dr. Paul Lee of Kellogg Eye Center at U-M.

“The take-home message for those under the age of 44 is that if you don’t see well, you should see an eye doctor,” Lee, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.

“Around 90 percent or more of those in this age range with decreased vision can be corrected with glasses or contacts to 20/40 or better,” Lee advised. “This is the visual acuity level in most states for having an unrestricted driver’s license. In addition, many of those older than 45 can also correct their vision to 20/40 or better with glasses or contacts.”